Ghana is set to join the few African nations that are into the production and consumption of Genetically Modified Foods.

At a public lecture held at the lecture theatre of the KNUST Agriculture faculty last Monday, Dr. Richard Akromah of the Crop and soil Science department stated that sufficient education on the issue of biotechnology and genetically modified foods had been provided for the country’s legislators to enable them accept the concept of biotechnology and its use in the country.

He says that it has become necessary for Ghana to adopt the production and consumption of GM foods because the country’s population is increasing at an alarming rate that needs to be fed with the existing resources. He says biotechnology helps breeders develop varieties that overcome important production problems that bedevil farmers.

Currently, Burkina Faso, Egypt and South Africa are the only African countries that produce and consume GM foods.

Dr. Garry Blumenthal, a US Biotechnology expert attributed opposition to GM foods in many countries mainly to the fear of the unknown and lack of knowledge of the science involved. He also considers it more of a moral issue, saying that people are opposed to biotechnology because they think people should not mess with nature and not because of any scientific evidence of dangers of the technology.

-BERNARD BUACHI FOCUS FM, KNUST.